Circular knitting machine



Dec. 15, 1942. H. F. HILKER. ET AL CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 11, 1941 6 Shets-Sheet l ATTORNEY 1942- H. F. HILKER ET AL 2,304,916

C IRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 11, 19 11 e Sheets-Sheet 2 1 ATTORNEY Dec. 15,1942. H. F. HILKER ET AL. 2,304,916

1 p v CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 11, 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEY Dec. '15, 1942. H. F. HILKER ETAL 2,304,916

' CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Feb. Il, 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 $001321 BMW AQSQWW' ATTORNEY Dec. 15, 1942. H. F. HILLKER ETAL 2,304,916

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed F'Qb. 11, 1941 I 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INV.ENTOR5 {K 9.5km M q ATTORNEY Dec. 15, 1942. H|LKER ETA, 2,304,916

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 11, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 6 AMJSAW Q R.K vINVENTOR$ Patented Dec. 15, 1942 CIRCULAR KNITTING-MACHINE Harrison F. Hilker and Harold R. Welker,

Martinsburg,

W. Va., assignors .to .Interwoven Stocking Company, New Brunswick, N. .L, a corporation of New Jersey Application February 11, 1941, ,SerialNo. 378,356

18 Claims.

The present invention consists in the novel features disclosed in the following description and claims, and in the accompanying drawings, which illustrate by way of example one form of apparatus for carrying said invention into effect.

The invention relates to circular knitting machines for producing plated fabric, i. e., machines in which a plurality of threads are fed to the needles in such manner that one or more threads hereinafter referred to as the plating or face thread forms theouter face of the fabric, and other thread or threads hereinafter referred to as the body or backing thread forms the inner face of the fabric. As is well known, the production of uniform plating presents a difficult problem. It requires that the two threads, namely, the face thread which is to appear at the outer face of the fabric, and'the backing thread which is to appear at the inner face of the fabric must at all times be fed to the needles of themachine in such manner that they will be engaged by the hooks of the needles in their proper relations 'when each stitch is drawn, so that the face thread lies in the hook of the needle closely adjacent the shank and the backing thread lies in thehook of the needle on the outer side of the face thread. To assure that this positioning of the threads is "invariably obtained, it is necessary that not only the thread be fed under suitable tension,

greater tension being ordinarily placed on the face thread, but also to feed the thread at the proper angle to each other. The angular relationship of the two threads is determined by the positions of the thread guides by which the threads are fed to the needles and the direction the threads are drawn from'the thread guides by the needles.

The problem of producing uniform plating is still more difficult when the knitting machine is operated by reciprocation and the needles are manipulated to knit in each direction of rotation of the needle cylinder relative to th cam block and the thread guides, as occurs for example in knitting the heel and toe pockets of a seek or in knitting the high splice, sole and instep portions of a split foot sock. It is obvious that where the threads are fed in proper plating relation tothe needles when the cylinder is moving in one direct on, the reversal of the direction of rotatic-n of the needle cylinder will disturb the rela- 3 tion of the threads and'result in improper plating when the cylinder is moving in the opposite .di=.-ection. "In sorneinstances the relation of the thread is reversed upon each reversal of the nee- ;dle cylinder, so that one thread appears at the face of the fabric in the alternate courses knit cduringxrotation of the cylinder in one direction, while theotherithread appears at the face of the .ifabric in theinterv'ening courses "knit during rotation of the .cylinder in'the reverse direction. In

other instances, the disturbance of the proper plating relation of the two threads is irregular and unpredictablaso that the outer face of the fabric .is formed in some places .of one thread, and at other places of the other thread. It is an object of the present invention to overcome this difficulty and obtain uniform plating at all times in reciprocating work as 'well as in work produced by continuoussrotation of the needle cylinder in one direction.

It has been proposed' to provide a circular knitting machine with auxiliary thread feed fingers and mechanism for mechanically shifting the fingers relative to one another upon each reversal of the needle cylinder in reciprocating work so that in both directions of reciprocation of the needle cylinder both threads will 'be delivered to the needles at the proper angles to produce uniform plating. However, the mechanism required to shift the auxiliary thread 'feed'fingers is complicated and is subject to considerable wear, as

the fingers mustbe shifted at the end of each movement of the cylinder in each direction of its reciprocation. Moreover, the shifting of the feed fingers exactly simultaneously with the reversal of the needle cylinder presents a difficult problem of timing and if the timing is not correct,

imperfect plating will result. It is an object of the present invention to avoid the complicated "face and the backing threads may be shifted the required amountto place the threads in correct position for accurate plating in each direction. However, a similar construction is provided by maintaining one thread guide stationary so as to remain in the same position in both directions of rotation, and making the other thread guides freely movable in both directions by the pull of the thread being fed to shift the position of said seeon'd thread guide upon each reversal of the needle cylinder, thereby changing the relative tion of thread xtending from the thread guide to the needles of the needle cylinder is pulled in the opposite direction, thereby moving the thread guide from one feeding position to the other. The continued pull of the thread as it is drawn from the thread guide by the needles hold the thread guide in proper position for feeding the thread in the new direction of rotation and this position is maintained until the direction of rotaton is again reversed. Adjustable stops are preferably provided to limit the extent the thread guide is moved by the pull of the thread to position the thread guide in proper relation to the thread guide feeding the other thread to obtain uniform plating in each direction of rotation under all conditions. In addition to having two 'feeding positions, one for each direction of rotation of the needle cylinder, the movable thread guide is preferably movable to an inoperative position in which it does not present thread in position to be received by the needles.

' Owing to the restricted space available, and the limited extent to which the movable thread guide can be moved away from the needle circle when in inoperative position, a special cutter and binder unit is provided to sever and hold the thread when the feeding of the thread to the needles is discontinued. The cutter and binder unit is mounted on the machine outside the needle circle, but is movable into a position in which it projects inside the needle circle to cut and bind the thread fed by the movable thread guide when the latter is withdrawn to inoperative position. The unit is of unusual construction in that it has a movable blade having a downwardly opening hook, and a special lifting finger is provided to raise the thread into position to be engaged by the cutter and binder unit. After the thread has been trapped, the cutter and binder unit returns to a position in which it is wholly outside the needle circle and out of the .path of the needles. When it is desired to resume feeding the thread, the thread guide is -moved to feeding position and the cutter and binder unit is moved temporarily to its inner position to present the thread to the needles.

7 It will be understood that in referring in the specification and claims to rotation of the needle cylinder, reference is had to rotation of the cylinder relative to the cam block and thread guides and that this relative rotation can be produced either by rotating the needle cylinder or by rotating the cam block and thread guides.

In the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated so much of a circular knitting machine for carrying the invention into effect as is necessary to enable the invention to be clearly understood.

a In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a circular knitting machine embodying the invention.

V Fig. 1a is a fragmentary top plan view show- L ing the cutter and binder unit in its inner position.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on a plane extending radially of the needle cylinder and showing two thread guides for feeding thread to the needles in plating relation.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal plan view showing the relative positions of the two thread guides during rotation of the needle cylinder in the direction indicated by the arrow.

4 is a fragmentary elevational view looking radially outwardly from the needle cylinder and showing the thread guides in the same positions as in Fig. 3.

- Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but shows the relative positions of the two thread guides when the needle cylinder is rotating in the opposite direction as indicated by the arrow.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but shows the thread guides in the same position as in Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the relative positions of the two threads in the hook of a needle for proper plating.

Fig. 8 is an end elevational view of the pattern drum controlling the movable thread guide, the cutter and binder unit and the lifting finger for raising the thread into position to be received by the cutter and binder.

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 99 in Fig. 2, and shows adjustable means for limiting the movement of the movable thread guide, and part of the mechanism for moving the thread guide to inoperative position.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary elevational view of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 9, and shows a latch locking the thread guide in inoperative position.

Fig. 11 is a view looking upwardly and showing the underside of the mechanism shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 12 is an elevational view showing the operation of mechanism for moving the thread guide to inoperative position under control of the pattern drum shown in Fig. 8, the pattern drum and adjacent portion of the mechanism being indicated diagrammatically.

Fig, 13 is an elevational View partially in section showing operation of the lifting finger for raising the thread into the cutter and binder, a'

portion of the mechanism being shown diagrammatically.

Fig. 14 is an elevational view partially in section showing mechanism for moving the cutter and binder into its inner position, a portion of the mechanism being shown digrammatically.

Fig. 15 is an elevational view partially in section, showing mechanism for actuating the cutter and binder, a portion of the mechanism being shown diagrammatically.

Fig. 16 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the operation of the cutter and binder.

Fig. 17 is a vertical elevational view partially in section, showing the cutter and binder unit.

Fig. 18 is a horizontal sectional view through the cutter and binder unit.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown by way of example, a circular knitting machine having a frame 2|, and a needle cylinder 22 which is rotatable alternately in opposite directions relative to a cam block 23, for manipulating the needles 2%, to knit in each direction of rotation. Each of the needles 2% has a shank portion 2 3a, a hook portion 2% and a latch 24c, and is provided with suitable butts for operation of the needles by the cams of the cam: block The machine is provided with a sinker ring 25, and has a latch ring 26, pivoted to the frame of the machine at 26a (Fig. 1), so that the latch ring can be swung up away from the needle cylinder to an inoperative position. The latch ring her of thread guide 28,

being in one position during rotation of f3 and 4, to the other is normally held down in operative positionby a releasable catch21 (Fig. 12)

Themachine is providedwith a main feeding station at which are provided any desired mmfor feeding thread to the needles of the needle cylinder, and an-auxiliary feeding station at which is located one or more thread guides 29 (Fig. 1). The single thread guide 29, shown by way of example in cthe drawings, is pivotally mounted on the latch ring at 29a, and has associated therewith suitable mechanism 3! for moving the thread guide into and out of feeding position. In Fig. 2 of the drawings, there is shown in side elevation one'of the thread guides 28 at the mainfeeding station. It will be seen thatthe thread guide has a thread feeding eye 28a, and is pivotally mounted on a shaft 32, supported bythe latch ring 26 o that the thread guide may be swung "upwardly to an inoperative position from the feeding position illustratedin Fig.2. The thread guide '28 is normally held in feeding position by a spring 33, and can be moved to inoperative position by a finger 34 which is operable by suitable mechanism under control of the pattern drum of the machine.

While the thread guide 28 is movable into and out of operative position, it remains in the same feeding position in both directions of rotation of the needle cylinder, and for convenience of terminology will be referred to as a stationary thread guide. At the main feeding station there is also providedamovable thread guide for feeding'thread to the needles in plating relationship with the thread fed by thread guide 28. The movable thread guide has two feeding posi 'ons, the needle cylinder in one direction and in the other position during rotation in the opposite-direction,

By thus shifting the relative positions of the two thread guides in accordance with the direction of rotation of the needle cylinder, theguides are properly positioned to feed the two threads in correct relation for accurate and uniform plating in both directions of rotation. In accordance with the present invention, no mechanism is required for shifting the movable thread guide from one feeding position to the other as the thread guide is so arrangedthatuponreversal of the direction of rotation of the cylinder, the thread guideis automatically ed by the pull of the thread which'it feeds.

In the embodiment of the invention shown by way of example in the drawings, the. movable thread guide 35 is mounted on thelatch ring 26 Shift- .below the stationary thread guide 28, being pivotally supported by a screw 35a so that it may swing from one feeding position, .shown inliigs. feeding positions shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The thread guide35is thusarranged to swing in a planetransverseto the axis of the needle cylinder. At its inner .end the thread guide .35 .is provided .with-an eye 35b for feeding thread .to the needles.

.In threading up the machine, the backing" thread B is fed by stationary thread guide 28 and the face thread F is fed by movable'thread :guide 35. Suitable tension randta-ke lip-mechanism is provided for 'each :thread and is indimated diagrammatically .at .36 and 37 in Fig. 2.

.The tension device for the face thread 'Fwill :.ordinarily lieadjusted to apply heavier tension than is applied to the backing thread 13. By

referringto Figs. 3 and '4 it will be seen that needle is reversed and rotates in a to the right and guide 35 over to of rotation of the 'tion to feed the face thread B in correct angular relation to one anlabutments in iddby means of a collar 'ment 38 is adjusted by tfilrhaving a set screw position.

i can be accurately when the needle cylinder is rotating in a counterclockwise direction, the threads are drawn to the guide '35 positions the thread guide in its left hand feeding position. When the needle cylinder clockwise direction, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the thread is pulled this swings the movable thread its right hand feeding position in that position during rotacylinder in a clockwise direceach reversal of the direction needle cylinder, the movable thread guide 35 is automatically swung from one feeding position to the other by the pull of the thread which it feeds. By reason of this automatic shifting of the movable thread guide 35 with respect to the stationary thread guide 28, the two thread guides are :placed improper posithread F and the backing and maintains it tion of the needle tion, Thus, upon other, so that they will always be received in the hooks of the needles in proper position for accurate plating. The relative positions of the tWo threads in the hooks of the needles is illustrated in Fig. '7, where it will be seen that the face thread F is caused to lie closely adjacent to the shank Me of the needle and the backing thread B lies in the hook on the outer side of the face thread. The path of travel of the needles in each direction is represented by the broken line N in Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6.

It will be understood that instead of having one stationary thread guide and one movable thread guide as described above, the same result can be obtained by making both of the thread guides movable and limiting the extent of movement of each thread guide in such manvided by maintaining one of the thread guides stationary, and moving the other relative thereto to change the relative positions of the thread guides in accordance with the direction of rotation of the needle cylinder. .In the particular embodiment of the invcntionshown in the drawings, the eXent of movement of the movable thread guide .35 is :limited by spaced abutments 38 and .39. Toprovide for adjustment of the order to regulate the feeding positions of the movable thread guide the abutshaft 38a. (Figs. 9 and brackets il provided on the underside of the :latch ring 26 and the abutment 39 is carried by a shaft 39a which is slidably mountedon shaft 3% having a set screw .The position of shaft38a and henceabutof a sliding collar 380 for locking it in The collar 38b is held in engagement withjone of the bracketsA-l by a spring 42 which tends to move shaft "38a towards the left as viewed in Fig. 9. Adjustment of theposition of shaft 39a and hence of abutment 39 is obtained by sliding shaft 390. relative to shaft 38a. by means'of the sliding collar 3%. By suitable a'djustrnent of the abutments 38 and 39, the two feeding positions of the movable thread guide.35 determined.

In order .to discontinue :the feeding :of plating ably supported by brackets 48.

thread F when desired, provision is made for moving the thread guide 35 to an inoperative position in which it does not feed thread to the needles. This is accomplished by moving the shaft 38a to the right as viewed in Fig. 9 against the action of spring 42, so that the abutment 38 engages the thread guide 35 and swings it to an inoperative position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 11. It will be understood that the shaft 39la moves with shaft 38a so that the spacing of the abutments 38 and 33 remains the same. Mechanism for moving the thread guide 35 to inoperative position at a predetermined time under control of a pattern drum is shown in Fig. 8 to Fig. 12. On a projecting portion of shaft 38a there are provided spaced collars 38d adjustably held in fixed position on the shaft by set screws 3111c. The projecting ends of the set screws 38c are slidably received in a slot 40a of a guiding bracket 40 which thereby supports and guides shaft 38in. One end of an operating lever 43 is pivotally connected at 43a to a suitable bracket 44 on the frame'of the machine and the other end fits between the spaced collars 3801 provided on shaft 3811. At an intermediate point 43b, the lever 43 is connected by a link 45 (Fig. 1) to the upper end of an arm 45 on a horizontal shaft 41, rotat- A second arm 49 provided on shaft 41 at approximately right angles to arm 46 is connected by a link with a cam follower 52 pivotally mounted on a stud shaft 53 and. having a nose portion 52a adapted to be engaged by a cam 54 on pattern drum 55. When the nose portion 52a rides up on cam 54,

the cam follower 52 is swung upwardly against the action of a spring 52b and acting through link 5| and arm 49, rotates the horizontal shaft 41 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from the right hand end of the shaft in Figs. 1 and 12. This swings the arm 45 and lever 43 forwardly and pulls the shaft 380. outwardly (to the right in Figs. 9 and 11) against the action of the spring 42, thereby bringing abutment 38 into engagement with thread guide 35 and swinging the thread guide to inoperative position. It will be understood that the timing of this operation is controlled by the position of cam 54 on pattern drum 55.

As the operating lever 43 is mounted on the frame of the machine, while the thread guides together with the abutments 38 and 39 and the shaft 38a are carried by the latch ring, the operating lever is disconnected from the thread guide when the latch ring is swung upwardly about pivot pin a to its raised position. As the operating lever 43 is not attached to sliding shaft 380:, but merely fits in between spaced collars 38d on said shaft, the operating mechanism for thread guide '35 in no way interferes with the raising of the latch ring. In order to hold the thread guide in inoperative position against the action of spring 42 when the latch ring is raised there may be provided a catch 55 pivotally connected to the latch ring at 55a and having a detent portion 56b adapted to engage the set screw 38c of one of the collars 38d to hold the shaft 38a in its outer position (Fig. 10) To provide for the release of the shaft 3811 when the latch ring is again returned to its lower position, the catch 55 has a downwardly extending portion 56?) adapted to engage the sinker ring indicated by a dot and dash line in Figs. 9 and 10 to raise the detent portion of the catch out ofengagement with the set screw 38c of collar 33d when the latch ring is lowered (Fig. 9).

When the thread guide 35 is moved to inoperative position, it is desirable to cut and bind the thread. As the regular cutter and binder for the threads fed by thread guides 28 and any threads fed at the auxiliary feeding station 29 occupies the space inside the needle circle, and as the thread guide 35 does not swing far enough away from the needles to cause the thread fed thereby to be caught by a cutter and binder outside the needle circle, the cutting and the binding of the thread fed by movable feed finger 35 presents a difficult problem. This problem is solved in accordance with the present invention by mounting the cutter and binder unit on the machine outside the needle circle and providing means for moving said unit to an inner position in which it projects inside the needle circle, whereupon it is operated to trap and sever the thread and is then returned to its normal position wholly outside the .needle circle. The operation of the cutter and binder units is of course timed with the operation of the thread guide 35 so that the cutter and binder unit is moved to its inner position to trap and sever the thread when the thread guide is moved to inoperative position. The cutter and binder unit is thereafter returned to its outer position and remains there as long as the thread guide 35 is inoperative. When feeding of the thread is to be resumed, the thread guide 35 is moved to feeding position and the cutter and the binder unit is moved momentarily to its inner position to present the thread to the needles and thereupon return to a position wholly outside the needle circle.

Cooperating with the cutter and binder unit, there is provided a lifting finger 51 for raising the thread into position to be caught by the cutter and binder (Fig. 13 and Fig. 16). In the form illustrated in the drawings, the lifting finger 51 is pivotally mounted on the frame of the machine at 510. (Figs. 1 and 13) and the inner end 51b of the finger normally lies on the sinker ring 25 between the thread guide 35 and the cutter and binder unit'which is indicated generally by the reference numeral 58. The lifting finger 51 has an angular arm 510 which projects downwardly from the lifting finger and engages one arm of a bell crank lever 53. The other arm of bell crank lever 59 is engaged by a laterally projecting arm 60 on a vertically movable riser 5|, the lower end of which is connected to a cam follower 62 (Figs. 8 and 13) which is pivoted on stud shaft 53 and has a nose portion 52a adapted to engage a cam 63 on pattern drum 55. When the nose portion 620. of cam follower 62 rides up on cam 63, the riser 6! and projecting arm 60 are lifted, thereby rocking bell crank lever 59 in a counterclockwise direction (Fig. 1 against the action of a spring 531). This causes lifting finger 51 to be swung in a clockwise direction about its pivot 51a, thereby lifting the inner end 511) of the finger. V

The timing of the operation of lifting finger 51 is controlled by the position of cam 63 on pattern drum 55, and is such that the finger is raised shortly after the thread guide 35 swings to inoperative position. The movement of the thread guide to inoperative position moves the thread out over the inner end of lifting finger 51, whereupon the lifting finger is raised to lift the thread into position to be acted upon by the cutter and the binder unit. The manner in which the thread is lifted is clearly illustrated in Fig. 16 in which the thread and the lifting finger are shown in upon by the lifting finger and the cutter and J binder.

The cutter and the binder unit has a body D tion 64 which is pivotally mounted on a bracket 65 on the frame of the machine, the pivot .pin being indicated by the reference numeral 64a and permitting the cutter and the binder toswing in a plane transverse to the axis of the needle cylinder (Figs. 1 and 1a.). A binder plate 66, a movable blade 61 and a stationary blade 68 are secured to the body portion 64 by means of threaded pins 6 9 (Figs. 17 and 18). The pins 69 extend through elongated holes 67a in movable blade 61 to permit limited longitudinal movement of the blade relative to the binder plate 66 and stationary blade 68. Compression spring 69a on pin 69 holds the movable blade 61 and stationary blade 68 in engagement with each other and with the binder plate 66. A tension spring ll acting on a pin 67b projecting laterally from the movable blade 61 tends to move the blade to the retracted position shown in Fig. 18. At its inner end the movable blade 61 has a downwardly opening hook portion 61o. When the movable blade is in its extended position illustrated in Fig. 16, and

shown by dotted lines in Fig. 17, the down- I wardly opening hook portion 670 is exposed and is adapted to receive the thread when the latter is lifted by finger 51 (Fig. 16). Upon release of the movable blade 61, it is retracted by spring H severing the thread between the hook portion 61c of the movable blade and a cutting edge 68;; pro; vided at the inner end of the stationary blade 68. The end of the thread extending from the thread guide 35 to the cutter and binder unit is firmly gripped between the movable blade 67 and the inner end of binder plate 65 so that the thread is not released and may be again presented to the needles by swinging the thread guide 35 to feeding position and moving the cutter and binder unit momentarily to its inner position in which it projects inside the needle circle.

Mechanism for swinging the cutter and binder unit about its pivot pin S lo to move the unit to its inner position is illustrated in Figs. 1, lo and 14. The body portion 64 of the cutter and binder unit is connected by a link 1 2 to one arm 13a of a bell crank lever 13, the other arm 73b of which is connected by a vertically movable riser M to a rearwardly projecting end 15a of a cam follower '15 pivotally mounted on a stud shaft 76 and having at its other end a nose portion 15?) adapted to engage cams Na and 11b on pattern drum 55. 'When the nose portion 15b of the cam follower rides up on one of the cams Ila or 11b the cam follower 15 is rocked about its pivot 76 in a clockwise direction against the action of a spring 15c, thereby rocking bell crank lever 13 in a clockwise direction and drawing links 12 to the right as viewed. in Figs. 1, 1a and 14. Thi swings the cutter and binder unit about its pivot 64a in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1, to an inner position shown in Fig. 1a. in which the inner end of the cutter and binder unit projects inside the needle circle indicated by the broken line N. Th ams li and 1. 12. ir s-5. 11 are s arranged on pattern 55 as to move the cut; he an in t sinn s i n to i t and bindthethread when the thread guide 35 is moved to inoperative position and again to present the threadto th e needles when the thread guide is re-" turned to feeding position, Movement of the cutterand binder unit to its inner position illustrated in Fig. la, brings it into position for operation of the movable blade B'I by suitable actuating mechanism to sever and trap the thread The actuating mechanism is shown in Figs. 1, 1a, 15, 17 and 18, and comprises a hammer 78a provided on one end of a bell crank lever 18, pivoted at 781 to a suitable bracket 19 on the frame of the machine, and having its other arm 180 connected by a link 8] to an arm 82d at one end of a horizontal shaft 82 rotatably sup; ported by suitable brackets 83. An arm'82 b at the other end of shaft 82 is connected by a vertically movable riser 84 to the rear end 85a of a cam follower 85 pivotally supported on stud shaft 76 and having a nose portion 85b adapted to be, en gaged by a cam 85 on pattern drum 55. (Figs. 8 and 15). When the nose portion 85b of the cam follower 85 rides up on cam 86, the cam follower is rocked in a counterclockwise direction (Fig. 15) against the action of a spring 85c,'lifting the riser 84 and rotating shaft 82 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from th right hand end of the shalft. The rotation of shaft 82 raises link 81 and arm 18c of bell crank lever 78 causingthe bell crank lever to be rocked in a counterclockwise direotion (Fig, 15) about its pivot 18b and moving the hammer 18a inwardly toward the needle cylinder of the machine. The, cam' 86 is so positioned on pattern drum 55, as to actuate the. hammer 18a shortly after the cutter and binder has been moved to its inner position. It will be seen from Fig. 1a that movement of the cutter and binder unit to its inner position brings the outwardly projecting end 61d of the movable blade 61 into alignment with the hammer 78d of the actuating mechanism. The inward movement of hammer 18a causesthe blade 61 to be moved inwardly so that theinner end projects beyond the binder plate 6.6 and stationary blade 68, exposing the downwa'rdly'opene ing hook portion 61c as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 17; When the nose of the cam follower 85 rides off of earn {56, the hammer 18a is withdrawn to the full line position of Fig. 1'7, and the movable blade 6! is retracted by spring H to cut and bind the thread as illustrated in Fig. 18. The cutter and binder unit is thereafter returned to its o ter position, wholly outside the needle circle by the mechanism heretofore described. The operation of the machine will be understood from the foregoing description'of the structure, but will be briefly summarized. In threading up the machine thebacking thread B will be threaded through the eye 28a of thread guide 28 (Fig 2) and the face thread F Will be threaded through the eye 35b of movable thread guide 35. It will be understood that the threads are passed through their respective tension and take up devices which are adjusted to apply the desired tension to each thread. With the machine threaded in this manner, the thread guides 28 and 35 will cooperate to knit the two threads in uniform plating relation so that the thread F will always be at the front face of the fabric and the thread 13 will always be at the back face of the fabric, whether the machine is operated by continuous rotation in one direction or by reciprocation. Knitting circular seamless fabric,

fe example the Pe il. e @9 5 th se d cylinder is rotated continuously in a counterclockwise directioniFig. 1). With the cylinder rotating in this direction, the movable thread guide 35 is moved to and held in the left hand feeding position illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 by the pull of the face thread F so that the two threads F and B are presented to the needles in proper relation to one another for accurate plating.

Uniform plating is likewise produced by the machine of the present invention when the machine is operated by reciprocation. For example, in knitting a split foot sock, the needle cylinder is rotated alternately in opposite directions, and one set of needles constituting approximately one-half the needle circle is operated to receive and knit thread fed at one feeding station, while a second set of needles constituting the other half of the needle circle is operated to receive and knit thread fed at the other feeding station,

one or more needles at each side of the cylinder being operated to take both threads to form a suture between the portion knit at one station and that knit at the other. Thus, thread may be fed to one set of needles by a feed finger 29 a at the auxiliary feeding station to form the instep portion of a sock and two or more threads may be fed in plating relation to the other set of needles by a thread guide 28 and movable thread guide 35 at the main feeding station to form a plated sole. When the machine is operated in reciprocation, the movable thread guide 35 is in one operative position (Figs. 3 and 4) when the needle cylinder is rotating in a counterclockwise direction, and is in a different operative position (Figs. 5 and 6) when the needle cylinder is rotating in a clockwise direction, the thread guide being automatically shifted back and forth between the two feeding positions by the pull of the thread F upon each reversal of the direction of rotation of the needle cylinder, so that thread guides 28 and are always in proper position with respect to one another to feed the threads B and F in correct plating relationship in each direction of rotation. As no mechanism is required to shift the movable thread guide 35 from one feeding position to the other, the shifting being effected automatically by the pull of the thread fed by the thread guide, an exceptionally simple and reliable construction is provided by the invention.

When it isdesired to discontinue the feeding of the thread fed by thread guide 35, the thread guide is swung to an inoperative position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 11, by movement'of shaft 380 to the right (Figs. 9 and 11) by means of operating lever 43 and associated mechanism. The movement of thread guide 35 to inoperative position is timed to occur during rotation of the needle cylinder in a counterclockwise direction. At approximately the same time, the cutter and binder unit 58 is moved to its inner position (Fig. la.) and the hammer 18a is thereupon actuated to move blade 61 of the cutter and binder inwardly to present the downwardly opening hook 610 for reception of the thread. It will be understood that with the needle cylinder rotating in a counterclockwise direction, the needles in passing through the knitting wave are drawn down by the knitting cams and are in a lowered position at a point adjacent the cutter and binder unit so as not to interfere with move ment of said unit to its inner position. The path of travel of the tops of the needles is indicated by the broken line N in Fig, 16. Shortly after the thread guide 35 has been moved to inopera= tive position and the cutter and binder unit has been moved to its inner position, the lifting finger 51 is raised (Fig. 16) lifting the thread into the downwardly opening hook 610 of the movable cutter and binder blade 61. The actuating hammer 78a is thereupon withdrawn allowing blade 61 to be retracted by spring H, thereby severing the thread and gripping the severed end between the blade 61 and binder plate 66. The cutter and binder unit is then returned to its outer position. v 7

When the feeding of thread F is to be resumed, the thread guide 35 is swung around to feeding position during rotation of the needle cylinder in a counterclockwise direction, and at approximately the same time, the cutter and binder unit is-moved to its inner position, carrying the end of the thread to a point inside the needle circle and thereby causing the thread to be caught by the needle. As soon as the needles have caught the thread, they pull it out of the cutter and binder unit and said unit is thereupon returned to its outer position wholly outside the needle circle. It will be noted that when the needle cylinder is rotating in a clockwise direction, the needles pass the cutter and binder unit in a raised position (Fig. 6) and would strike the cutter and binder if it were in its inner position. However, before rotation of the needle cylinder in a clockwise direction occurs, the cutter and the binder unit is withdrawn to its outer position where it is entirely outside the needle circle and in no way interferes with the operation of the needles. The cutter and the binder mechanism in accordance with the present invention thus fully solves the problem of cutting and binding the thread, and subsequently presenting the thread to the needles without interfering with other mechanism or operations of the machine.

Where it is desired to plate the instep portion of a split foot sock, the movable thread guide 35 'with the associated mechanism may be located at the auxiliary feeding station to feed a thread in plating relation with the thread fed by thread guide 28, while if it is desired to plate both the sole and the instep duplicate thread guides may be provided both at the main feeding station and at the auxiliary feeding station. The invention is thus susceptible of application in the production of a wide variety of knitted articles where accurate and uniform plating is essential.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: V

1. In a circular knitting machine having 'a needle cylinder rotatable alternately in opposite directions relative to .a cam block for manipulating the needles to knit in each direction of rotation, the combination of two thread guides for feeding thread to the needles in plating relation, one of said guides remaining in the same position in both directions of rotation and the other being freely movable in both directions by the pull of the thread being fed, to present the threads in proper relation for uniform plating in each direction of rotation.

2. In a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder rotatable alternately in opposite directions relative to a cam block for manipulating the needles to knit in each direction of rdtation, the combination of two thread guides for tion in both directions of rotation and the other being pivotally mounted and freely swingable in both directions by the pull of the thread being fed, to shift the position of said second thread guide upon each reversal of the needle cylinder and present the threads in proper relation for uniform plating in each direction of rotation.

3. In a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder rotatable alternately in opposite directions relative to a cam block for manipulating the needles to knit in each direction of rotation, the combination of two thread guides for feeding thread to the needles in plating relation, one of said guides remaining in the same position in both directions of rotation and the other being pivotally mounted to swing in a plane transverse to the axis of the needle cylinder and being freely swingable in both directions by the pull of the thread being fed to shift the position of said second thread guide upon each reversal of the needle cylinder and present the threads in proper relation for uniform plating in each direction of rotation.

4. In a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder rotatable alternately in opposite directions relative to a cam block for manipue lating the needles to knit in each direction of rotation, the combination with a thread guide for feeding thread to the needles with a second thread guide for feeding thread to the needles in plating relation with the first mentioned thread, said second thread guide being freely movable in both directions by the pull of the thread being fed to shift the position of said second thread guide with respect to the first mentioned guide upon each reversal of the nee- I dle cylinder and present the threads in proper relation for uniform plating in each direction of rotation, means being provided for limiting the extent of movement of said second thread guide by the pull of the thread fed thereby.

5. In a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder rotatable alternately in opposite directions relative to a cam block for manipue lating the needles to knit in each direction of rotation, the combination of two thread guides for feeding thread to the needles in plating relation, one of said guides remaining in the same position in both directions of rotation and'the other being movable in both directions by the pull of the thread being fed to shift the relative positions of the two thread guides upon reversal of the direction of rotation, means being provided for adjustably limiting the extent of movement of the second thread guide to position said guide to present the thread in proper relation to the thread fed by the first mentioned thread guide for uniform plating in each direction of rotation.

6. In a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder rotatable alternately in opposite directions relative to a cam block for manipulating the needles to knit in each direction of rotation, the combination with a thread guide for feeding thread to the needles of a second thread guide arranged to feed thread to the needles in plating relation with the first mentioned thread and movable in both directions by the pull of the thread fed thereby to shift said thread guide from one position to another upon reversal of the direction of rotation to present the threads to the needles in proper relation for uniform plating in each direction, and means for moving said second thread guide to an inoperative position to discontinue the feeding of said second thread.

7. In a circular knitting machine operable by reciprocation to knit in both directions of rotation, the combination with a thread guide for feeding thread to the needles, of a second thread guide located below the first mentioned thread guide and arranged to feed thread to the needles in plating relation with the first mentioned thread, said second thread guide being pivotally mounted and swingable in both directions by the pull of the thread fed thereby to shift the position of said second thread upon each reversal of the direction of rotation and abutments for limiting the extent the thread guide is swung by the pull of the thread to position the thread guide in proper relation to the first mentioned thread guide for uniform plating in each direction of rotation.

8. In a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder rotatable alternately in opposite directions relative to a cam block for manipulating the needles to knit in each direction of rotation, the combination of two thread guides for feeding thread to the needles in plating relation, one of said guides remaining in the same position in both directions of rotation and the other being pivotally mounted and swingable in both directions by the pull of the thread fed thereby to shift the position of said second thread upon each reversal of the direction of rotation, means for limiting the swing of said thread guide to position it in proper relation to the first mentioned thread guide for uniform plating in each direction of rotation, and means for swinging said second thread guide to an inoperative position.

9. In a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder rotatable alternately in opposite directions relative to a cam block for manipulating the needles to knit in each direction of rotation, the combination of two thread guides for. feeding thread to the needles in plating relation, one of said guides remaining in the same position in both directions of rotation and the other being pivotally mounted and swingable in both directions by the pull of the thread fed thereby to shift the position of said second thread upon reversal of the direction of rotation, stops carried by a movable member for limiting the swing of said thread guide, and means for moving said member to swing said second thread guide to inoperative position.

10. In a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder rotatable alternately in opposite directions relative to a cam block for manipulating the needles to knit in each direction of rotation, the combination of a thread guide carried by a latch ring and adapted to feed thread to the needles, a second thread guide pivotally mounted on the latch ring below the first mentioned thread guide and having one feeding position for feeding thread to the needles during relative rotation of the needle cylinder in one direction and a second feeding position for feeding thread to the needles during rotation in the opposite direction, said second thread guide being swingable from one feeding position to the other by the pull of the thread fed thereby to present said thread in proper relation for uniform plating with the thread fed by the first mentioned thread guide in both directions of rotation.

11. In a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder rotatable alternately in opposite directions relative to a cam block for manipulating the needles to knit in each direction of rotation and a latch ring capable of being raised and lowered, the combination of a thread guide carried by the latch ring and adapted to feed thread to the needles, a second thread guide pivotally mounted on the latch ring and having one feeding position for feeding thread to the needles during relative rotation of the needle cylinder in one direction and a second feeding position for feeding thread to the needles during rotation in the opposite direction, said second thread guide being swingable from one position to the other by the pull of the thread fed thereby, and means for moving said second thread guide to an inoperative position, said means being disconnected from said thread guide when the latch ring is raised.

12. In a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder rotatable alternately in opposite directions relative to a cam block for manipulating the needles to knit in each direction of rotation and a latch ring capable of being raised and lowered, the combination of two thread guides carried by the latch ring and adapted to feed thread to the needles in plating relation, one of said thread guides being pivotally mounted and swingable from a feeding position for feeding thread to the needles during relative rotation of the needle cylinder in one direction to a second feeding position for feeding thread to the needles during rotation in the opposite direction,

said thread guide being swung from one feeding position to the other by the pull of the thread fed thereby, means for swinging the thread guide to an inoperative position in which the thread is not fed to the needles, said means being disconnected from the thread guide when the latch ring is raised, and a catch carried by the latch ring for holding said thread guide in inoperative position when the latch ring is raised and releasing the thread guide when the latch ring is lowered to operative position.

feeding thread to the needles in plating relation,

one of said guides being located below the other and movable in both directions by the pull of the thread being fed to position the thread in proper relation to the thread fed by the other thread guide for uniform plating in each direction of rotation, means for moving the first mentioned thread guide in a horizontal plane to inoperative position, a cutter and binder unit mounted on the machine outside the needle circle and movable into a position in which it projects inside the needle circle to cut and bind the thread fed by said first mentioned thread guide.

14. In a circular knitting machine operable by reciprocation and having a thread guide for feeding thread to the needles and means for moving said thread guide to an inoperative position, a cutter and binder unit mounted on the machine outside the needle circle, means for moving said unit to a position in which it projects inside the needle circle, operating said unit to trap and sever the thread and thereupon returning the said unit to a position outside the needle circle while holding the thread that has been trapped each time the thread guide is moved to inoperative position.

15. In a circular knitting machine having a thread guide for feeding thread to the needles and means for moving said thread guide to an inoperative position to discontinue the feed of thread, the combination of a cutter and binder unit mounted on the machine outside the needle circle and movable to an inner position in which it projects inside the needle circle, a finger located between said thread guide and cutter and binder unit for lifting said thread into position to be engaged by the cutter and binder unit when in its inner position and means for operating the cutter and binder unit to trap and sever said thread.

16. In a circular knitting machine having a thread guide for feeding thread to the needles and means for moving said thread guide to an inoperative position to discontinue the feed of thread, the combination of a cutter and binder unit mounted on the machine outside the needle circle and having a stationary blade and a movable blade with a downwardly opening hook, means for moving said unit to an inner position in which at least the hook portion of the movable blade projects inside the needle circle, and. subsequently returning said unit to a position wholly outside the needle circle, means for lifting said thread into the hook of said movable blade when the cutter and binder unit is in its inner position and means for actuating said movable blade,

to sever and trap said thread.

17. In a circular knitting machine having a thread guide for feeding thread to the needles and means for moving said thread guide to an inoperative position to discontinue the feed of thread, the combination of a cutter and binder unit mounted on the machine outside the needle circle and operating mechanism for moving said unit to an inner position in which it projects inside the needle circle, actuating said unit to trap and sever said thread upon movement of the thread guide to inoperative position, returning said unit to an outer position wholly outside the needle circle while holding the thread that has been trapped, again moving the said unit to its inner position to present the thread to the needles to resume feeding of the thread and thereupon restoring said unit to its outer position.

18. In a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder rotatable alternately in opposite directions relative to a cam block for manipulating the needles to knit in each direction of rotation, the combination of a thread guide for feeding a body thread in the same position in both directions of rotation and another thread guide for feeding a plating thread below the first mentioned thread guide, said second thread guide being freely movable in both directions by the pull of the thread being fed to shift the position of said second thread guide with respect to the first mentioned thread guide upon each reversal of the needle cylinder and present the threads in proper relation for uniform plating in each direction of rotation.

HARRISON F. HILKER. HAROLD R. WELKER. 

